Europeans were the only people to develop history as an independent discipline with its own methodology, with things like textual criticism and handling of diverse sources, distinct from myth or propaganda. Other civilizations like China kept detailed historical records, but these were mostly genealogical records compiled by bureaucrats and designed to legimitise dynasties or instruct rulers. Greeks built the Library of Alexandria as a centre for preserving and studying texts from across the known world. Scholars compared manuscripts of classical authors to correct errors and produce standardised texts, something practically unheard of in the ancient world. Europeans have treated ancient historical sources with unique care. The norm in most times and places has been to take this careless attitude to ancient sources. But in contrast, everywhere Europeans went they began to collect detailed historical records, protect ancient sites, and compile real histories of the regions independent of local myth.